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The man accused of brutally beating a Wheeling woman to death in September now knows his next court dates.
Jermaine Justin Copeland of Wheeling will go to trial for murder on May 4. He has a pretrial hearing scheduled for April 21.
Copeland, 36, is accused of killing 47-year-old Shirley Ann Wolfe who was found in an Ohio Street home dead with injuries police said were consistent with blunt force trauma.
According to police accounts, shortly before 8 p.m. on Sept. 28, Wheeling police were called to 107 Ohio Street for a 911 hangup call. Officers met with Copeland and Wolfe and, WPD Chief Shawn Schwertfeger said at the time, because there was no cause to take action, the officers left.
Another 911 call was made around 9:15 p.m. and, according to the criminal complaint, when officers arrived, they found Copeland standing in the intersection of Virginia and Ohio streets with a bleeding cut on his right hand. They also allegedly saw an "unknown liquid consistent with blood" on his clothes.
When an officer asked Copeland if the blood on his clothes was his, Copeland allegedly didn't answer. He later allegedly said, "I think she's hurt real bad," and when an officer asked Copeland who was hurt, Copeland allegedly responded, "I've said too much."
Copeland allegedly tried to walk away multiple times and was told to stop. According to the criminal complaint, Copeland allegedly said, "I think she's dead." Copeland was put in a police cruiser and officers then went to 107 Ohio Street for a welfare check. After knocking and getting no answer, officers forced open the door and found Wolfe dead on the floor with severe injuries.
A search warrant was obtained for Copeland's clothes and shoes and officers allegedly found hair on Copeland's shoe consistent with Wolfe's hair and that the tread on Copeland's shoe was consistent with a bloody shoeprint left on Wolfe's stomach.